People buy drinks at a juice store in Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 11, 2023. Egypt's annual headline inflation rose to 21.9 percent in December 2022, up from 6.5 percent in December 2021, the country's official statistics agency reported on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's annual headline inflation rose to 21.9 percent in December 2022, up from 6.5 percent in December 2021, the country's official statistics agency reported on Tuesday.
The Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said in a statement that the monthly inflation rose by 2.1 percent, hitting 19.2 percent in November 2022.
"The increase in prices of basic commodities was behind the rise in the monthly inflation rate," added the agency.
It said the prices of food rose by 4 percent annually in the last month of 2022, with outstanding increases in sub-categories such as fruits, dairy products and grains.
According to Rashad Mohamed, an economic expert at Cairo University, the rise of inflation in December was expected due to the devaluation of the local currency and is predicted to further increase in January.
The Egyptian pound on Tuesday recorded 27.6 against the U.S. dollar compared to 15.7 in March 2022 after it had been devaluated more than once by the Central Bank of Egypt.
He also attributed the rise in monthly inflation to external factors such as an increase in import values caused by growing inflation in Egypt's major trading partners, particularly the European Union countries.
Given the Egyptians spend 40 percent of their income on food commodities, Mohamed said the inflation will negatively impact people's daily life. ■
This photo taken on Jan. 11, 2023 shows the building of Central Bank of Egypt, in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt's annual headline inflation rose to 21.9 percent in December 2022, up from 6.5 percent in December 2021, the country's official statistics agency reported on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)